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Celebrated globally, Earth Day is observed annually on April 22, a day that marks the birth of the modern environmental movement. The first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970, when Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, announced the idea for “national teach-in on the environment.” Nelson, dismayed by recent ravages on the environment such as the 1969 oil spill in Santa Barbara, had been inspired by the student anti-war movement at the time, and he capitalized on the energy of that movement to put environmental concerns at the forefront. As a result, the first Earth Day was born when some twenty million Americans took to the streets in support of a more sustainable environment.

Use these lessons, articles, book lists, and other activities to continue the tradition of promoting environmental awareness on April 22.